毯子

I have given no small attention to that not unvexed subject, the skin of the whale. ...My original opinion remains unchanged; but it is only an opinion.

對「鯨的皮」這個不無爭議的（not unvexed）題目，我下過不小的功夫。我曾為它與海上經驗豐富的捕鯨人、岸上博學的博物學家爭論過。我最初的看法沒有改變；但那也只是一種看法罷了。

The question is, what and where is the skin of the whale? ...That blubber is something of the consistence of firm, close-grained beef, but tougher, more elastic and compact, and ranges from eight or ten to twelve and fifteen inches in thickness.

問題是：鯨的皮是什麼、在哪裡？你已經知道牠的鯨脂（blubber）是什麼了。那鯨脂的質地（consistence）有點像結實、紋理細密的牛肉，卻更韌、更有彈性、更緊實，厚度從八吋、十吋，到十二、十五吋不等。

Now, however preposterous it may at first seem to talk of any creature’s skin as being of that sort of consistence and thickness... True, from the unmarred dead body of the whale, you may scrape off with your hand an infinitely thin, transparent substance, somewhat resembling the thinnest shreds of isinglass... it is pleasant to read about whales through their own spectacles, as you may say. ...That same infinitely thin, isinglass substance... is not so much to be regarded as the skin of the creature, as the skin of the skin, so to speak; for it were simply ridiculous to say, that the proper skin of the tremendous whale is thinner and more tender than the skin of a new-born child.

如今，把任何生物的「皮」說成是那種質地與厚度，乍聽或許荒謬（preposterous）；可事實上這些都不構成反證：因為你從鯨身上根本掀不起別的緻密包覆層、只有那同一層鯨脂；而任何動物最外層的緻密包覆，若還算緻密，不是皮又能是什麼呢？誠然，從完好無損的死鯨身上，你能用手刮下一層薄到極致、透明、有點像最薄的魚膠（isinglass）碎片的物質，只是它幾乎像緞子一樣柔軟有彈性；那是在曬乾之前——曬乾後它不僅收縮增厚，還變得相當硬而脆（brittle）。我留著幾片這樣的乾膜，用來當我「鯨書」的書籤。如我先前所說，它是透明的；墊在印刷頁上，我有時自得其樂地幻想它有放大的功效。無論如何，可說是「透過鯨自己的眼鏡」讀關於鯨的書，倒也愜意。但我這兒要說的是：這層薄到極致、魚膠般的物質——我承認它包覆著鯨的整個身體——與其說該被當作這生物的「皮」，不如說是「皮的皮」；因為若說那龐然大鯨真正的皮，比新生兒的皮還薄、還嫩，那簡直可笑。

Assuming the blubber to be the skin of the whale; then, when this skin, as in the case of a very large Sperm Whale, will yield the bulk of one hundred barrels of oil... Reckoning ten barrels to the ton, you have ten tons for the net weight of only three quarters of the stuff of the whale’s skin.

假定鯨脂就是鯨的皮：那麼，當這層皮（如一頭極大的抹香鯨那樣）能產出約一百桶油時；又當考慮到，這油在榨出的狀態下，其數量、或者說重量，只佔這層「外衣」物質的四分之三、而非全部——由此便可對這活物的龐大有點概念了：僅僅其包覆層的一小部分，就能榨出那樣一「湖」的液體。以每噸十桶計，光是鯨皮物質的四分之三，淨重就有十噸。

In life, the visible surface of the Sperm Whale is not the least among the many marvels he presents. Almost invariably it is all over obliquely crossed and re-crossed with numberless straight marks... These are hieroglyphical... Like those mystic rocks, too, the mystic-marked whale remains undecipherable. ...I should say that such scratches in the whale are probably made by hostile contact with other whales; for I have most remarked them in the large, full-grown bulls of the species.

活著的抹香鯨，其可見的表面，在牠呈現的諸多奇觀中也絕非最不起眼的一個。牠幾乎通體都斜斜地交錯、再交錯著無數密密排列的直紋，有點像最精細的義大利線刻版畫。但這些紋彷彿不是印在上面提到的那層魚膠膜上，而是透過它被看見、彷彿刻在鯨體本身上。還不止此。在某些情況下，對敏銳善觀的眼睛而言，那些線紋——如同一幅真正的版畫——還只是別種圖案的底。這些是「象形文字（hieroglyphical）」式的；也就是說，如果你管金字塔牆上那些神秘的符號（cyphers）叫象形文字，那麼這個詞用在眼下也恰當。憑著我對一頭抹香鯨身上象形紋的牢固記憶，我曾被一幅圖深深觸動——那圖描繪上密西西比河岸著名的「象形岩柵（hieroglyphic palisades）」上鑿刻的古印第安文字。像那些神秘的岩石一樣，這「神秘刻紋的鯨」也始終無法被解讀（undecipherable）。這提到印第安岩石，又讓我想起另一件事：除了抹香鯨外表呈現的種種現象，牠（尤其背側與兩脅）常有很大一部分規則的線紋被抹去（effaced），因為布滿了無數粗亂、全無規則、隨機模樣的刮痕。我得說，那些被阿加西想像為遭巨大浮冰猛烈刮擦過的新英格蘭海岸岩石，在這一點上想必與抹香鯨頗為相像。我也覺得，鯨身上這種刮痕，多半是與別的鯨敵對接觸（相鬥）造成的；因為我在這種鯨的大型、成年公鯨身上最常見到它們。

A word or two more concerning this matter of the skin or blubber of the whale. ...the whale is indeed wrapt up in his blubber as in a real blanket or counterpane; or, still better, an Indian poncho slipt over his head, and skirting his extremity. ...like man, the whale has lungs and warm blood. Freeze his blood, and he dies. ...But more surprising is it to know, as has been proved by experiment, that the blood of a Polar whale is warmer than that of a Borneo negro in summer.

關於鯨的皮、或說鯨脂這件事，再多說一兩句。前面已說過，它是一長條一長條地從鯨身剝下的，叫「毯片（blanket-pieces）」。像多數海事用語一樣，這個詞極為貼切而傳神。因為鯨確實是裹在牠的鯨脂裡，如同裹在一條真正的毯子或被罩（counterpane）裡；或者，說得更妙些，像套了一件「印第安斗篷（poncho）」——從頭上套下、裙擺垂到牠的末端。正是因為身體這般舒適的「裹毯」，鯨才能在一切天候、一切海域、時節與潮汐裡讓自己保持舒適。比方說，一頭格陵蘭鯨若沒了牠那舒適的外套（surtout），在北方那令人顫慄的冰海裡會變成什麼樣？誠然，別的魚在那極北（Hyperborean）水域也極其活躍；但要注意，那些是你那種冷血、無肺、肚子本身就是冷藏室的魚；牠們在冰山的背風處取暖，就像冬日的旅人在客棧爐火前取暖；而鯨卻像人一樣，有肺、有溫血。凍住牠的血，牠就死。那麼，這巨獸——對牠而言肉體的溫暖如對人一樣不可或缺——竟能在北極水域中終身浸到唇邊地「安居」，這該多麼奇妙（除非經過解釋）！在那裡，水手落水後，有時數月之後被發現垂直地凍進冰原的中心，像一隻蒼蠅被黏在琥珀裡。但更令人驚訝的是得知——如實驗所證明的——一頭極地鯨的血，竟比夏天一個婆羅洲黑人的血還要溫熱。

It does seem to me, that herein we see the rare virtue of a strong individual vitality, and the rare virtue of thick walls, and the rare virtue of interior spaciousness. Oh, man! admire and model thyself after the whale! Do thou, too, remain warm among ice. Do thou, too, live in this world without being of it. Be cool at the equator; keep thy blood fluid at the Pole. Like the great dome of St. Peter’s, and like the great whale, retain, O man! in all seasons a temperature of thine own.

我確實覺得，在這裡，我們看見了「強健的個體生命力」的稀有德行、「厚牆」的稀有德行、以及「內部寬廣（spaciousness）」的稀有德行。哦，人啊！讚嘆鯨、並以鯨為楷模吧！你也要在冰中保持溫暖。你也要「活在這世間，卻不屬於它（live in this world without being of it）」。在赤道，要保持冷靜；在兩極，要讓你的血保持暢流。像聖彼得大教堂那巨大的圓頂（dome）、像那巨鯨一樣，人啊！在一切季節裡，都守住一份你自己的溫度。

But how easy and how hopeless to teach these fine things! Of erections, how few are domed like St. Peter’s! of creatures, how few vast as the whale!

可是，教導這些美好的道理，多麼容易、又多麼令人絕望啊！建築之中，有幾座是像聖彼得大教堂那樣有圓頂的？造物之中，又有幾個是龐大如鯨的？